The World Time Zone Map is divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day. Time zones are based on the Earth’s rotation, which causes the sun to rise and set in different places at different times. The Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England, is the dividing line between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and the starting point for the world’s time zones.
Each time zone is one hour ahead of the time zone to the west of it and one hour behind the time zone to the east of it. For example, when it is 10:00 AM in Pacific Time (PT), it is 11:00 AM in Mountain Time (MT), 12:00 PM in Central Time (CT), and 1:00 PM in Eastern Time (ET).
Most countries observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) by setting their clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall. DST is intended to make better use of daylight hours, but it can be disruptive to people’s sleep patterns and have a negative impact on health.
Why Do We Have Time Zones?
The idea of time zones was introduced to address the challenges of coordinating activities across vast distances. Before the concept of time zones, each city or town had its local time based on the position of the sun overhead. This system became impractical with the rise of railroads and telegraph communication, leading to the need for a standardized timekeeping system.
Major Time Zones in World Time Zone Map
| Time Zone | UTC Offset | Countries/Regions |
|---|---|---|
| UTC-12 | -12:00 | Baker Island, Howland Island, International Date Line |
| UTC-11 | -11:00 | American Samoa, Midway Atoll, Niue, Pago Pago, Samoa |
| UTC-10 | -10:00 | Hawaii, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Tahiti-Moorea |
| UTC-9 | -9:00 | Alaska, Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands |
| UTC-8 | -8:00 | Pacific Time (PT), Baja California, Sonora, Yukon |
| UTC-7 | -7:00 | Mountain Time (MT), Alberta, Arizona, Chihuahua, Sinaloa |
| UTC-6 | -6:00 | Central Time (CT), Central America, Saskatchewan |
| UTC-5 | -5:00 | Eastern Time (ET), Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |
| UTC-4 | -4:00 | Atlantic Time (AT), Caribbean, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela |
| UTC-3 | -3:00 | Newfoundland, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay |
| UTC-2 | -2:00 | Mid-Atlantic Time (WAT), Greenland, Iceland |
| UTC-1 | -1:00 | Cape Verde, Azores |
| UTC+0 | +0:00 | Western Europe, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) |
| UTC+1 | +1:00 | Central Europe, West Africa |
| UTC+2 | +2:00 | Eastern Europe, Central Africa, Egypt |
| UTC+3 | +3:00 | East Africa, Arabia, Russia |
| UTC+4 | +4:00 | Gulf Cooperation Council, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia |
| UTC+5 | +5:00 | Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka |
| UTC+6 | +6:00 | Bangladesh, Myanmar, Kazakhstan |
| UTC+7 | +7:00 | Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam |
| UTC+8 | +8:00 | China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan |
| UTC+9 | +9:00 | Japan, Korea, North Korea |
| UTC+10 | +10:00 | Australia, Papua New Guinea |
| UTC+11 | +11:00 | Solomon Islands, Vanuatu |
| UTC+12 | +12:00 | Fiji, New Zealand, Tuvalu |
| UTC+13 | +13:00 | Tonga |
| UTC+14 | +14:00 | Kiribati |
Map of World Time Zones
- There are 24 time zones in the world, one for every hour of the day.
- The Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England, is the dividing line between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and the starting point for the world’s time zones.
- Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time.
- Most countries observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) by setting their clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall.
- The largest time zone in the world is UTC+14, which is used in Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean.
- The smallest time zone in the world is UTC-12, which is used in certain parts of the United States and the International Date Line.
Who Introduced Time Zones?
Sir Sandford Fleming, a Canadian railway planner and engineer, is credited with introducing the idea of time zones in the late 19th century. His proposal was adopted at the International Meridian Conference in 1884.